The Impact of Mining Exploration on Sangaredi Community’s Sustainable Development: Inhabitants Perspectives on Livelihood

Mining exploration has left many communities in deplorable conditions ranging from livelihood sustenance to poor health facilities and poor road network. An assessment on the impact such companies’ operations have created, warrants considerable attention to unearth the realities of exploration effects on communities. This study however examined the impact of mining exploration on Sangaredi community’s sustainable development. In that regard, it reviewed pieces of literature published on mining and exploration, which enabled the discovery of vital information concerning the subject matter. The descriptive review facilitated the development of literature that enhanced the development of the study. Gaps identified in the review process led to the formulation of suitable methods for addressing critical issues of exploration. However, this study employed descriptive quantitative and correlational methods, which facilitated the gathering, classification and presentation of data that led to analysis, description and conclusion of the study. This study distributed 300 questionnaires to community inhabitants, which enhanced the compilation of first-hand information regarding the subject matter. Analysed data using descriptive statistics and correlation disclosed numerous problems mentioned by respondents, ranging from health to education and poor road network. It was discovered that, exploration exercises have damaged lands utilised for agricultural purposes. However, deposits of toxic substances have damaged soil nutrients and exploration have caused degradation on the land tenure system. Such problems have left lands to be unproductive. In addition, poor medical facilities have resulted to numerous outbreaks and lack of quality education has led to many children dropping out of schools. As a result of the foregoing problems discovered as the negative impact mining explorations have created, it is but fitting for government and mining corporations to considerable pay attention to Sangaredi community and address such problems. This study is noteworthy to the Sangaredi community and other communities where mining explorations are conducted. In addition, academics and mining consultants will use this information as a source of further investigation on the subject matter.

its exploration exercises are also established and it is upon this backdrop that this study emanated from to assess and discover the impact the company's exploration exercises has had on Sangaredi community's sustainable development.
This concept of sustainable development is subject to economic development which encompasses social and ecological elements that determine requirements of contemporary issues capable of influencing contributions of existing philosophies to address concerns of forthcoming generations [1][2][3][4]. Taking these into consideration, the various economic sectors still remains to be seen materialize. The mining industry, like other sectors, is no exception to this practice. All that we have witnessed since the last decade of the twentieth century, shows multiplication of largescale mining projects that meet the growing global demand for minerals without considering impact relating to the multiple brutal transformations of the landscapes and the living environment of local communities [5][6][7][8]. In this perspective, reorientation is imperative for companies, whose activities are often accused of being responsible for serious degradations of the environment.
Sustainable development becomes a matter of image, a strategic option which must reconcile economic growth and appropriate development. Without entering the dialectic of precedence between economic growth and development, sustainable development needs to have a holistic vision of development based on the exploitation of mineral resources [9][10][11][12][13]. However, since mining is an activity whose very nature is fundamentally linked to the concept of risk, the identification, knowledge, prevention and management of these risks is of paramount importance. Any underestimation of these risks can have impacts on numerous sectors.
Faced with this proven constraint of mining activity, environmental assessment, measures and predict various dimensions in the mining process which anticipate future solutions in mining activities. However, this objective is far from being achieved, since inadequacies are identified in management plans on environmental and social issues in many African mining countries [14][15][16][17]. The reasons for these failures are inherent in mining companies, and this is why mining is often associated with many cases of negative externalities, each of which party blames government intervention [18][19][20]. Mining companies criticize factors endangering their activities which includes corruption of government officials, and unethical practices exhibited by governance in these countries rich in mineral resources [21,22].
Many government point fingers at mining companies that they take advantage of their political instability to arrogate leonine contracts.
However, both sides (government and mining companies), should agree on the relationship between the efficiency of the mining activity and the type of governance put in place, to ensure regulation of mining activities [23][24][25].
The management of the main economic sectors of the country, particularly the mining sector is the subject of all criticism.
Questions come from all categories such as: unions, associations, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), leaders and political actors. In this discontent widespread, many causes are singled out which identify predatory mining companies, corrupt managers, looted resources etc. In this regard, it is difficult to distinguish causes from consequences and culprits from accomplices since the opportunity to promote sustainable development is constructive linked to exploitation of mineral resources [26][27][28][29][30]. Indeed, the choice to promote the development of a country from mining involves many factors such as: sustainability, creation of added value role of different actors, multiple externalities, etc. Mining for development must obey certain fundamental principles governing mining operations including transparency and access to information. In this perspective, the role of a nation is to ensure adherence to certain standards and compliance to legislative principles regarding mining operations [31][32][33][34].
Mining is a lever for economic development and can be triggered for the general growth of the country. Despite the immense social and environmental impacts associated with it, the approach of the development through the exploitation of mineral resources is justified by arguments that this constitute the economic point of view, a natural capital whose extraction produces wealth which can be consumed or reinvested in the production of other types of capital [35][36][37]. In addition, from a social point of view, transnational companies promote training and education, to increase countries' human capital. They offer huge training and employment opportunities for indigenous people. For all these reasons, mineral resources would therefore constitute an opportunity for countries development [38,39]. Generally speaking, for the proponents of this approach, the development of a country is possible from the exploitation of its mineral resources. Finally, between these two distinct approaches, there is a more centrist approach that can contribute towards a country's development process. For this approach, if economic development is possible through the development of mineral resources, this possibility is often accompanied by the establishment of an appropriate governance mechanism [40][41][42][43][44].

Literature Review
Environmental and social impacts of mining and exploration Health is defined as the absence of ill-health and complete social, physical and mental well-being of a person [1,8,11]. The Hazardous

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substances includes all substances which may be harmful to the population and / or the environment. Due to the quantum concentration of physical, chemical or infectious characteristics, hazardous substances can lead to escalation of mortality and increases devastating illnesses [6,13] (Figure 2).

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It also constitute potential and substantial risk to the populace or environmental degradation if improperly processed, stored, transported, disposed of or otherwise managed. Many health problems that are linked to mining activities include water contamination which is polluted by surface and ground water, metals and elements, microbiological contamination by sewage and waste in campgrounds and residential areas of mining workers [2][3]7,9]. Air exposure also has high absorptions of mercury and cadmium, sulphur dioxide particles and heavy metals. However, the deposit of toxic elements from atmospheric emissions [10] also affects soil ( Figure 3).
Mining activities can suddenly affect the standard of living and physical well-being including social and mental concerns of local communities. The improvised mining towns and camps often threaten food availability and security, thus increasing the risk of malnutrition [5,9]. Mining has indirect consequences on health which includes the increased occurrence of chronic bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, and gastrointestinal diseases. During exploration, air emissions occur at every level of mining exercise, which affects development, construction and operational activities [15,19,24] (Figure 4).

Figure 4
Large mining operations have the tendency to contribute meaningfully to air pollution, especially in the operational phase.
Activities during bauxite extraction, processing, handling and transporting, depend on the equipment, generators, processes and materials which generate dangerous air pollutants such as matter, heavy metals, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides [16,21].  [14,20,23,25]. The first approach state that wealth in mineral resources is not necessarily synonymous with economic development. Several reviewed literatures support this approach and emphasised that, mining poses enormous risks to countries rich in mineral resources [17][18]27]. The effects are destabilization of the social values of local population, disruption of natural ecological balances and strengthening of the country's dependence on the export of minerals [36]. Thus, the establishment of mining companies often leads to the arrival of new people, loss of accorded privileges to natives. Losing control of a territory once acknowledged as inheritance could definitely nurture conflict.

Sustainable Development and Mining
Industrial mining activity produces externalities for the host environment as such mining is associated with multiple negative externalities it generates [26,28,33]. The second approach notes that mining is a lever of economic development and can be triggered for the overall growth of the country's economy ( Figure 6).

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Despite the immense social and environmental impacts associated with it, development through exploitation of mineral resources is justified by arguments that constitute an economic point of view, a natural capital whose extraction produces wealth that can be consumed or reinvested in the production of other types of capital [29,31,32,37] (Figure 7).
In addition, from a social point of view, transnational companies promote training and education, to increase countries human capital through enormous training and employment opportunities for indigenous people. In consideration to aforementioned reasons, mineral resources would therefore constitute an opportunity for countries that embark on mining operations to support this approach as it leads to the development of a country's mineral resources [8,30,[34][35].     The situation principally affects communities where exploration operations are administered in villages occupied by historically marginalized populations and victims of discrimination.

Mining exploration and community livelihood
Promoters of mining projects should guarantee adherence to fundamental rights of affected people and communities and ensures that such rights are not violated but respected [6,11,38].
These rights encompasses control and utilisation of land, the right to safe drinking water and the right to livelihood. These rights can be enshrined in national laws and expressed through a range international instruments [2,7]. All groups are equal under the law, and the interests of groups that are more vulnerable (low income and marginalized groups) must be identified and protected [3,39] ( Figure 10).

Figure 10
Mineral exploration can contaminate soils on large areas where agricultural activities of a mining project can be particularly affected. Mining operations regularly modify the surrounding landscape by exposing soils that were previously intact [4,15,24].
Erosion expose soils, mined ores, slag heaps and fine materials in the waste heaps of rocks, which lead to substantial sediment loads in the exterior of waters and water drainage routes ( Figure 11).

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In addition, hazardous materials and deposits of contaminated substances thrashed can lead to soil contamination [4,10,19].

Research design
Examining the effects of exploration requires suitable methods of data collection to ascertain development in the conduct of this study. The conduct of an investigation requires a unique research design which shows a progressive path towards the achievement of research objectives. The absence of a constructive research design creates pursuits of diverse objectives which does not institute a sense of direction that should be followed to establish satisfactory and meaningful conclusion. However, this study employed descriptive quantitative and correlational research method, which is deemed suitable for the process since primary data obtain will address concerns of the subject matter in a scientific fashion and will enable readers and researchers to see the meaningfulness of the study.

Study area
This study was conducted in the interiors of Guinea Conakry,

Sampling of respondents
This study used simple random sampling to select different categories of people that produces comprehensive information which leads to objective analysis and discussion. This method enabled us to obtain a sample size of three hundred (300) participants, which served as representative sample for the research process. The sample size is segmented into the following categories: 150 of the participants are male whilst also 150 are female which shows gender parity. However, such community houses a greater number of female residents.

Research instrument
Every research that focuses in obtaining first-hand information requires the collection of information either through observation, discussion or with the aid of a questionnaire. This study obtained first-hand information through administering questionnaires to target population. However, 400 questionnaires were distributed to the sample size but 300 were retrieved, filled with relevant information availed by respondents. Retrieved questionnaires were sorted out accordingly and raw data was imputed into SPSS for analysis and description of information submitted by respondents concerning the subject matter. This study developed a questionnaire using the Linkert scale system of obtaining information which includes the following: 5=Strongly Agree, 4=Agree, 3=Neutral, 2=Disagree, 1=Strongly Disagree. Description of contents of literature review emanated from various researches conducted by numerous academic and scientific practitioners. The aforesaid is classified as follows: Environmental and Social Impacts of Mining and Exploration was adopted from [1,8,12], Sustainable Development and Mining was obtained from [14,20,23,25], whereas Mining Exploration and Community Livelihood was extracted from the discoveries of [1,[12][13].    (Table 3).   Sangaredi community and has established issues of concern that both government and corporation could discuss and find solution.

Results and Discussion
However, this investigation will serve as noteworthy information to mining companies in Sangaredi and other communities in Guinea.
Achieving results of this study was facilitated by a limited sample size of 300 respondents and a sample frame of one community; however, future endeavors will consider an expansion through increasing the sample size and frame or probably deal with specific issues dealt with in this study.